I’ve been reading the summary of the Ukraine call released by the White House, and I’m surprised that anyone is surprised. It all sounds like classic Trump to me. And it’s nice to see what finally motivated Democrats to move — threats to their ability to get elected. In other words, naked self-interest.
One revelation for me is the extent of Individual One’s paranoia and belief in conspiracy theories. There were CTs I’d never heard of that news stories had to explain, and Giuliani’s knowledge of their details explains his otherwise inexplicable connection to Trump. He’s the Conspiracy Whisperer. Basically, Trump’s mind is so shot that anyone who can grab a rein — not both, just one — can steer him, sort of.
Anecdotally, I’ve heard people say, “So what? The Republicans will protect him again.” I think that’s true, but it won’t help those up for re-election to try to defend this behavior.
UPDATE: Fred Kaplan makes an interesting point: The memo of the phone call used voice recognition technology, indicating that the transcript was put together from recordings. During Watergate, the existence of a taping system, acknowledged by Alexander Butterfield when he was asked how a memo based on notes could be so specific, set the final act of Nixon’s scandal in motion.